Microsoft Corp. today announced that its Surface family of PCs is growing. Its newest model — Surface Windows 8 Pro — will be available for purchase on Feb. 9, 2013, in the United States and Canada at all Microsoft retail stores, microsoftstore.com, Staples and Best Buy in the U.S., as well as from a number of locations in Canada.

Powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, Surface Windows 8 Pro provides the power and performance of a laptop in a tablet package. Perfect as your one device - at home, in the office, or on the road — it can run Windows 8 applications, as well as current Windows 7 desktop applications. Starting at an estimated retail price of US$899, Surface Windows 8 Pro will be available in 64 GB and 128 GB models. A Surface pen with Palm Block technology, designed specifically to work with Surface to let customers edit, collaborate and get things done, is included with Surface Windows 8 Pro.

In addition to being able to buy Surface Windows 8 Pro in the coming weeks, customers will soon be able to purchase Surface Windows RT in 14 additional markets worldwide,2 more than double the number of markets in which Surface is currently available.

"The response to Surface has been exciting to see," said Panos Panay , general manager, Microsoft Surface. "We're thrilled to continue growing the Surface family with the availability of Surface Windows 8 Pro on Feb. 9 and by increasing the number of places customers can experience Surface firsthand."

Additional Surface accessories will also soon be available, allowing customers to further personalize and customize their computing experience and get more done with Surface.

● Surface Windows RT will be available in a new 64 GB standalone version for an estimated retail price of US$599 to allow customers the option of selecting a Cover of their choice.
● Three new Touch Cover Limited Editions in red, magenta and cyan will be sold at an estimated retail price of US$129.99.
● Customers will have the option of purchasing a Wedge Touch Mouse, Surface Edition, for an estimated retail price of US$69.95 in all markets in which Surface is currently sold with additional markets to follow in the coming weeks.

now if you said "Personal opinion: Windows 8 METRO is crap, tablets or pc..."

I would half agree with you... windows 8 is an amazing build of windows, already better than 7 IMHO and the ONLY thing that brings it down is METRO, but you can install "start8" by stardock and to be honest I never know metro is there on my desktop... for touchscreen devices though metro is actually pretty good.

I never thought I would say the above but i have and i stick by it because win8 is VERY solid and offers a good upgrade from 7.

Zero to Facebook faster than it takes me to make a sandwich, which is good enough for me.

My girlfriend has wanted one. She said she wanted something "tablet sized" for portability, but "normal computer-able" so she could run the programs she needs for university. I warned her that battery life wouldn't be fantastic (her current early Atom-powered netbook is terribly slow and doesn't last long on a charge), but she said she's used to being tied down to a wall outlet and could manage. She plans on buying the type cover, but not a mouse (which I think I'll surprise her with).

I've always asked her why she didn't think the Surface RT would be good. Sure you can't run x86 apps on it, but how often does she actually need that? I made the mistake of telling her that the Pro would run Zoo Tycoon 1 and 2 without issues. I don't wonder anymore.

The price doesn't get along well with my penny-pincher nature, but that aside, I think the Surface Pro is actually quite good. The specs are quite good, the hardware should compliment the new OS (and vice versa).. I think it has a lot going for it.

I think the role the Surface Pro has to perform is to show people that Windows 8 isn't bad when you have the right hardware.

I never thought I would say the above but i have and i stick by it because win8 is VERY solid and offers a good upgrade from 7.

Click to expand...

imo, for traditional keyboard/mouse PCs, Windows 8 needs a "Windows 7 Mode". Edge swipes and corner bumps just don't work well with a mouse. I've found everything except Metro to be absolutely fantastic. I've found Windows 8 to be snappy and responsive. It just seems to have a good.. feel.

Tried windows 8 tablets at Windows Store here in DC. It is slick and fluid but it is nothing that great for me to jump from my ipad2. I'm not an apple fan, just got an ipad2 for my birthday last year. The only reason I would sell my ipad would be for an SD slot to serve as my photo viewer since I've just bought a NEX 5R.

Just bought a camera connection kit. If it doesn't work out then the Surface or Transformer prime may be my next tablet.

Zero to Facebook faster than it takes me to make a sandwich, which is good enough for me.

AnandTech and only a few other reviewers have hit the nail on the head. I think what people don't understand is that THIS ISN'T A TABLET. It should not be compared to a tablet. It won't always replace a tablet. Tablets are becoming slightly more PC-like, but at the end of the day, the Surface Pro is a keyboard-less ultrabook.

By the same logic, we should be comparing graphing calculators to these too.

imo, for traditional keyboard/mouse PCs, Windows 8 needs a "Windows 7 Mode". Edge swipes and corner bumps just don't work well with a mouse. I've found everything except Metro to be absolutely fantastic. I've found Windows 8 to be snappy and responsive. It just seems to have a good.. feel.

that is exactly what start8 by stardock does. it boots to desktop, disables hot corners and the start button on the keyboard brings up the start menu instead of metro screen. INSIDE the start menu there is a shortcut to go back to metro so it is still easily accessible but all the annoying "touch" gimmicks for non touch devices are removed with start8, if you haven't tried it give it a shot http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

What we learned from all these years is that M$ cannot compete with Apple products. Especially with this silly price.

Click to expand...

I enjoyed the Zune more than the iPod, Apple won that war because of their marketing and gullible buyers. The surface is the real deal, but the battle isn't fought at the quality of the product, it is fought at the marketing of the product.

I enjoyed the Zune more than the iPod, Apple won that war because of their marketing and gullible buyers. The surface is the real deal, but the battle isn't fought at the quality of the product, it is fought at the marketing of the product.

Click to expand...

That and they already had a very large music store (iTunes) in place. Oh how I miss my Zune

Microsoft is marketing the shit out of Surface. YouTube ads, TV ads, Walking Dead/Talking Dead sponsored by Windows 8 and Surface, product placement in TV shows. Microsoft is finally starting to push back against Apple.

That and they already had a very large music store (iTunes) in place. Oh how I miss my Zune

Microsoft is marketing the shit out of Surface. YouTube ads, TV ads, Walking Dead/Talking Dead sponsored by Windows 8 and Surface, product placement in TV shows. Microsoft is finally starting to push back against Apple.

Click to expand...

The way they are marketting though is pretty shitty. To much shit going on in the commercials, unlike Apples marketting where it is simple, and people can see the product and some features of it. No dubstep music and a ton of flashy stuff on the screen.

That is one thing I will always credit Apple with. How good their marketting is.

Where I live there's no marketing, no availability, no nothing. Surface RT is non-existent and the Pro will likely be the same ghost. We're not part of the 14 markets. I live in a country which is part of the other hundred and so markets where Win8 was launched. On the other hand Apple is all over the place. But again, this is not about Apple. Surface RT is against Apple and all the Android devices.

Surface Pro is in competition with OEMs who offer touch devices running Win 8. And it's not a tablet, it's a laptop in a totally different form factor. Let's call it LAPLET.

no! apple is crap! win8 is crap! linux is too hard and no games! windows 7 is perfect forever and ever!!

Click to expand...

you mean Windows XP forever and ever!! (yes my boss still use windows xp on a imac and he hates windows 7 ) lol

i have tried a samsung atom tablet with windows 8, except the problem with drivers , once all is updated its really nice , finally a product tablet sized , where i can run all of my windows software on.... no need to buy other software , and sync it to pc and all this shit...

this is going to replace a lot of low end pc at home. (and medium end)

AnandTech and only a few other reviewers have hit the nail on the head. I think what people don't understand is that THIS ISN'T A TABLET. It should not be compared to a tablet. It won't always replace a tablet. Tablets are becoming slightly more PC-like, but at the end of the day, the Surface Pro is a keyboard-less ultrabook.

By the same logic, we should be comparing graphing calculators to these too.

Click to expand...

I don't think even microsoft really understands what it is. Even with metro they were like:
"What the hell is it, sir?"
- "I don't friggin know, they wanted touch so there it is. It's different."
"Won't they just use the Start menu like always?"
- "Good point, Andersen. Better get rid of that menu altogether, and get rid of the option to disable that 'metro', whatever it is"

I like windows 8 the start menu what this start menu never really used it just like i dont use the start screen who needs ether and i have been wait for this to come out when do you think it will hit aus?

I don't think even microsoft really understands what it is. Even with metro they were like:
"What the hell is it, sir?"
- "I don't friggin know, they wanted touch so there it is. It's different."
"Won't they just use the Start menu like always?"
- "Good point, Andersen. Better get rid of that menu altogether, and get rid of the option to disable that 'metro', whatever it is"

Click to expand...

It's a touch interface, I don't really see the problem. And as a touch interface, it works pretty good. The main problem is that it has two UI's and you're being thrown between them. Classic Windows desktop mode doesn't really work for touch (it does work but not good enough), Metro doesn't work very well with multiple high-res monitors, but having two separete versions of Windows wouldn't work either because we want standard desktop programs to work with it. Given how much of a mess the situation is I think it's a pretty good attempt.

It's a touch interface, I don't really see the problem. And as a touch interface, it works pretty good. The main problem is that it has two UI's and you're being thrown between them. Classic Windows desktop mode doesn't really work for touch (it does work but not good enough), Metro doesn't work very well with multiple high-res monitors, but having two separete versions of Windows wouldn't work either because we want standard desktop programs to work with it. Given how much of a mess the situation is I think it's a pretty good attempt.

Click to expand...

That is the problem right there! You said it yourself. I don't think any attempt where your average user can spend 15 minutes using it and come up with suggestions to make the product substantially better is 'good'.

To me it reeks of schedule cutbacks... like they were designing this really good touch interface and ran out of time, and then basically had to slap it on to whatever they had to get it out the door.

Ultimately that affects the surface, which I think MS fully intended to be a 'tablet', but as people have pointed out, it really isn't... It is a slate PC with windows 8, complete with a too-long-for-a-tablet aspect ratio, and an OS that will throw you to the classic desktop every time it runs into a non metro app.